The Orbit Zone, the third round of I’m an Astronaut, Get me out of here, begins on the 7th of March, with students from 25 schools located all over the country connecting with the Astro Support Team!

From 7th–18th March, schools students will challenge the Astro Support Team through fast-paced live chats and probing questions, before voting for their favourite Team member.

For the latest news and announcements about I’m an Astronaut follow @iaagmooh on Twitter and look out for the hashtag #Principia.

Let’s meet the schools and the Astro Support Team who’ll be interacting in the Orbit Zone…

The Astro Support Team

Richard Moss | Astronaut Training Manager, Airbus Defence & Space, Germany

During the last 8 years I worked at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne. Specifically to Tim, I was his instructor for Generic Robotic Training which is an intensive hands-on course learning to operate the various robotic arm systems on the ISS.

 Jenn Wadsworth | PhD Student, University of Edinburgh

I’m an Astrobiologist working on microbes that are currently on the International Space Station, looking at how they can survive in space!

Floris Van Den Berg | ESA Research Doctor, Antarctica

ESA wanted me to do research in Antarctica because the living conditions here are the closest to a space trip you can get on earth. I do 6 experiments that are all related to long duration space missions (to the Moon & beyond!)

Elie Allouis | Engineer, Airbus Defense & Space, Stevenage

We are setting up a challenging teleoperation experiment for Tim as part of Principia that will give us a better understanding of the relationship between exploration robots and humans and the situations where an autonomous rover and a human can work better together…

Columbus Operations  Team | ESA Columbus Control Centre, DLR, Germany

If you’ve ever seen Apollo 13, and remember all the people on the ground, talking into headsets, staring at telemetry, and fixing problems… Well, that’s our job! We’re the Columbus Operations team, made up of Flight Directors, Flight and Ground Controllers – representing the operations experts on the ground ready to support Tim in all his ESA activities on board the International Space Station.

The Schools

• Baltasound Junior High School, Shetland
• Cassop Primary, Durham
• Cheddington Combined School, Buckinghamshire
• Chosen Hill School, Gloucestershire
• Crookfur Primary School, East Renfrewshire
• Grewelthorpe CE Primary School, North Yorkshire
• Hillcroft Primary School, Surrey
• Hugh Gaitskell Primary School, Leeds
• Jubilee Primary School, Hackney
• Kesteven and Sleaford High School, Lincolnshire
• King James’s School, North Yorkshire
• North Stainley Church of England Primary School, North Yorkshire
• Poole Grammar, Poole
• Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dorset
• Robertsbridge Community College, East Sussex
• Sir John Thursby Community College, Lancashire
• St James CE Middle School, Suffolk
• St Margaret’s CE Academy, Liverpool
• St Martin in the Fields High School for Girls, London
• St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees
• St Wilfrids CE Academy, Blackburn with Darwen
• The Cotswold School,
• The Hastings Academy, East Sussex
• The Hayesbrook School, Kent
• The Horncastle St Lawrence School, Lincolnshire